Travelettes » » A Plea to Postpone and Not Cancel Your Travels During COVID-19 If like me you have (or had) travel plans for this year, then you’ll no doubt be pretty devastated at the travel restrictions and lock-downs around the world. The pandemic has literally altered life as we know it. But instead of rushing to cancel your flights, tours and accommodation, have a little think about the wider implications of your actions. Why Should I Postpone My…

Travelettes » » How Coronavirus Has Me Feeling as a Traveler… and as an American Seven years ago, 21-year-old Emily was heading off for her first solo trip abroad (to Vietnam) when the word “travel insurance” was dropped in one of the friendly emails from the adventure travel group I’d signed up with. Travel insurance? Huh? Wasn’t that a thing for old worrywarts? I had no intention of purchasing travel insurance, and I thought that was normal. I thought this…

Travelettes » » On loving and leaving Travelettes I was 21 and in my third year of a journalism degree in London. I was moving house (shoebox) every couple of weeks, did a 30-hour job on “the side” and in between, I sent out emails, applications and pitches like my life depended on them and it sort of did. Usually, I wouldn’t get an answer, but if I did, it’d be something like, Thanks for getting in touch but we…

Travelettes » » The Australian Bushfire and the current mood in Sydney and Melbourne Photo credit: Bert Knot Images of charred wildlife, apocalyptic smoke-filled red skies and flames roaring through forests have been plastered all over media channels recently, summing up the devastation caused by months of bushfires tearing through Australia. Despite the fires shocking the world, it’s hard to truly grasp the scale and effects of this disaster, let alone capture the feelings across the nation. In an attempt…

Travelettes » » To All Those Who Won’t Be Home for Christmas Now don’t go reading this and get depressed, or start thinking this is going to be a sad, pity-filled bit of words. Give me a chance. While yes, I will indeed NOT be going home this Christmas like the iconic song, I’m not searching for pity. In fact, if you’ve ever questioned how many friends you have, I highly recommend telling people you won’t be going home for…

Travelettes » » What it’s like to be first black woman to travel to all of the countries in the world When it comes to travelling around the world, Jessica Nabongo has nailed. The 35-year-old has completed her two-and-a-half-year epic adventure of travelling to every UN-recognised country of the world (plus 2 non-member states), becoming the first black woman to do so. Travel is in the blood of the Detroit-born Ugandan-American, as she is the founder and CEO of Jet Black,…

Travelettes » » An Ode to the Humble Window Seat Whether peppered with raindrops or sparkling through sun rays, the window seat remains unbiased. That is to say, there is no right experience to have from a window seat, and more so that once you take the seat, the seat takes you… of sorts Through dark tunnels and villages that whizz past with just a flash of blotched vibrance; and rooftops that curve round to wish one last farewell. In…

Nicola Lavin – Traveling with Lyme Disease (and Infectious Positivity) Travelling can be exhausting and tough on the body even if you’re in the height of health. But spare a thought for those with chronic pain or illness who either can’t travel, or face a whole heap of challenges to do so. Nicola Lavin, from Galway in Ireland, is one such traveller. Having caught Lyme disease from a tick as a teenager, she spent years living with undetected chronic illness.…

Travelettes » » The obsession with travelling We all love travelling. The fact that you’re on this travel platform and clicked to read this specific post already says something. As the travel market grows and tourism booms, everybody has the travel bug. Being a digital nomad in Bali, getting your Eat, Play, Love on in Italy or roadtrippin’ across Europe were once the dream. Today, they are all achievable goals. For most people, travel has been made easy these…

Travelettes » » When being a total tourist is encouraged You’re probably thinking ‘what is Eleni on about?’ So many guides tell us to find the local spots and offer insider knowledge as that’s where the real magic is. I’m not arguing the opposite, in fact, I agree and I look for these guides just as much as the next person. Actually, I’m one of the people writing these guides so believe me when I say that this is the…

Travelettes » » Meet The New Travelettes! There have been a few changes to the Travelettes team this year. Although Katja, Annika, Kathi, Caroline and Tabea have of course been writing their hearts out for years, others have left us to move onto awesome new ventures. In their place, there’s now another six new writers, bringing the total Travelettes team count up to eleven! From Australia to the UK, Cyprus to – well, wherever life takes us, we’re dotted all…